Regina Folk Festival taking a mainstream direction in 2017

With a lineup that includes the likes of Tegan and Sara, Lights, Buffy Sainte-Marie and Marty Stuart, the Regina Folk Festival is going a little more mainstream for its 2017 event.

Sandra Butel, artistic director and CEO of the festival, announced the 2017 lineup Thursday morning and agreed that mainstream tag was appropriate.

“I feel this year that there are a lot more recognizable names on the lineup and part of that is a response to understanding what kind of market Regina is,” explained Butel. “Last year Canadian artists were really in demand around the world because given the state of the Canadian dollar, they were a really good value. So last year, they weren’t available to me. I had more American artists last year than I’ve ever had with a weak Canadian dollar, which was interesting.

“This year it’s very Canadian focused and a lot more names that people would recognize. There will be some big, exciting shows this year.”

The festival is slated to run Aug. 10 to 13 in Victoria Park. Butel took a few moments to offer some insights on a few of the artists who will be headlining the event:

• Tegan and Sara

“They played the festival many years ago (2003). It was when there was the blackout in Ontario and one of them couldn’t make it. Tegan was in Edmonton and Sara was in Montreal so Tegan did a solo show. Tegan had to do a solo show, which she did a great job with, but it’s been a long time since they’ve been here and a long time since they’ve been in this market. They have a new album and it’s good timing for them.”

• Lights

“She’s kind of a crossover artist, a little more poppy but gives an amazing live show. I’m really looking forward to seeing her live in the park.”

• Buffy Sainte-Marie

“I figured it was significant to bring her back for Canada’s 150th birthday and recognize some of the things we need to work on in Canada.”

• Marty Stuart

“He’s such a showman. I saw him in Calgary last year and it was like, ‘Wow.’ I knew he was showman but it hasn’t faded at all. He had such fire and he’s so amazing on stage. Even people who don’t know his music will be taken by his show because he is such a great performer.”

Butel is optimistic that the lineup will help the festival bounce back from the smaller attendance figures last year. She pointed out that the Regina Folk Festival wasn’t the only festival to see a drop in numbers.

During good financial times, fans can afford to attend most any festival they choose but during an economic downturn, those fans hit a saturation point which forces them to pick a smaller amount of festivals to attend.

“It’ll be interesting to see what happens this year as last year festivals were hit with a decrease in ticket sales across North America,” said Butel. “We’re not exactly sure why. It’s the massive festivals, it’s the little guys, it’s everybody. There’s some thought that in tough economic times there’s too many festivals and there’s a few that gone by the wayside, mostly the commercial ones that don’t have that community base. We’ve been around for 48 years and we have a very dedicated group of people that are going to keep supporting the festival and the volunteer base. For the commercial festivals, they have to hire everybody and those numbers just don’t match up anymore.

“With the shift in artists and how they’re available, it feels like a positive shift for us.”

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